Shattered Glory
by Garrett 67
Summary: The Magisters of the Tevinter Imperium were the most powerful figures in Thedas' history, but power corrupts, and the magic of the Imperium lives on. A quest for influence sends Hawke on a journey that could restore the former glory of the Magisters.


_**DRAGON AGE**_

_**SHATTERED GLORY**_

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><p>"<em>Hurtled into the chaos you fight... and the world will shake before you."<em>

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><p><em>PROLOGUE<em>

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><p>It seemed incredible to the creature that there was any light at all, if it could even be called that; rather, the darkness that had contained him for so long seemed to recede, ever so slightly. Just a simple waning of the imprenetrable blackness that surrounded him. It held him, like a prison. There had been no way out for so long. He had lost count of the years that he had spent caged within his own mind. Centuries must have passed, but he wasn't sure. It didn't matter anyhow, there was hope yet. He felt nothing but contempt for this empty space, this... void.<p>

He tried to move his still body, any limb, but he wasn't even sure if he had one. Did his body remain after being trapped for so long? Or was he perhaps just thought, conciousness, a presence that filled the abyss he called home?

He was alert now, waiting. For what, though, he had no clue, but something had changed, something had triggered the weakening in the darkness. Tentatively, he probed further, pushing the boundaries of his prison. He could see them now, faint patches of black that were brighter than the rest of it. Those were the points he would concentrate on.

He pressed on, feeling the darkness give under his weighty tendrils of thought, of consciousness, of whatever he was now. Cracks began to form, and now true light was shining through, penetrating the darkness. There was no illumination, he still couldn't see anything. After all, there was nothing to see, but the cracks were there. 

Vigorously, he pounded against the walls of his cage, against the bars that held him. They were a way out, after an eternity with nothing but his own thoughts for company, a way out was like a siren call. He briefly wondered if death awaited him beyond this cage, before deciding that death would be a welcome release from this constant boredom. He had done nothing but contemplate his own existence for such a long time that anything would be a reprieve from this.

Slowly, with the smallest of integars, the walls began to give under his steady efforts. The cracks reached further along the cage, along the black plane that held him.

_Just a little further_, he thought, now basking in the unmistakeable light that danced within each scar on the wall.

Suddenly, there was a distinct rumble in the cage as the walls bent and finally shattered. Light streamed in, obliterating the darkness. He had no voice with which to scream, no body to writhe in agony, only the pain that tore through his mind as the black was replaced by purest white, until white was all there was.

Then there was nothing.

Yet he still existed, so there must be _something_. Indeed, something had changed when he was consumed by light. Slowly, he became aware of a strange tingling sensation, and with a jerk of surprise, he discovered that he could _feel_. It dawned on him that his senses were once again functioning. He felt heavy, as if he had weight, and with a shocked cry, he snapped his eyes open.

Light pierced his vision, and his eyes swam. There was something above him, and he raised his arm towards the dark colors above him. There were hints of bright points that covered the never-ending black, and he realized that he was in fact looking at the sky. He remembered the sky. And the stars. He waited, lying like a statue as unused knowledge returned to him. The very basics of life that he had never thought about for eternity, but he was thinking about it now.

A smile crept to his lips, and with one steady movement, he stood, following instinctual patterns in his brain. His skin went taut around muscle and sinew as he stretched, relishing in the ironing out of his joints.

He looked around, surveying the barren plains that surrounded him. There was no sign of a cage, so his prison must have been a purely mental one. After all, what physical force could hold him. He knew he possessed a great power, and he tapped into the vast reserves of energy within his body and let it surround him. He remembered this power.

Satisfied, he let the power fade away, and as he closed his eyes once more, his mind was filled with a startling vision.

_Incredible heat, a searing pain. Burning fire, lashing at his skin. The dirt beneath his feet rising up to engulfe him. A man, the source of the fire; not fire, but energy, waves of potent, lethal energy lashing against him. Swallowed whole by the earth, to slumber for eternity._

His mouth was dry as he re-opened his eyes. He wasn't sure if what he had seen was a memory or... something else, but it gave him purpose, where once he had none.

He would find the man who had scorched him so, and he would reward him in kind.


End file.
